From The Fisherman To The Cowboy
by Lollipopdiego
Summary: Chelsea never got over her ex-boyfriend. When he marries the preppy pop-star, what happens when his best friend comes into Chelsea's life by carrying her home? From this point on, Chelsea's world will turn upside down. Chelsea x Vaughn
1. White Veil Occasion

**Hey, guys, here is Diego, with a new story. I've decided to work on a Chelsea x Vaughn story. **

**Partly, this is for my bud, HarvestMoonLuv, the ultimate Vaughn fan girl. Check out her amazing fanfics! You've inspired me, Elizabeth with your love of Taylor Swift, song-fics, and your new story, Ruins. (BE SURE TO CHECK OUT **_**Ruins**_** by **_**HarvestMoonLuv, **_**too!) **

**Read and enjoy! **

**June 5, 2011: Edited the first chapter. **

**I do not own Harvest Moon. **

Chapter 1: White Veil Occasion

It started on his wedding day.

At his fish smelling house, my ex-boyfriend Denny adjusted his baby blue tie. "Boy, I am excited!" he exclaimed. "And my two best friends are here to celebrate it with me!" Humming to himself, again straightening his tie, Denny examined his built fisherman body in the mirror. "Do I look good? Please tell me I look good." A grin emerged on his face.

"You don't look good," I reassured him. Denny groaned, like he was about to bang his head against a wall and yell, "Kill me now!"

I grinned. My ex never failed to make me laugh. He was amazing like that. "You're handsome. You look ready, and you're about to shine." Denny then beamed, wrapping his arms around me as well as the man beside me – his best friend.

"Now," Denny pulled away, grinning at me and glaring at the other. I didn't know how he did both. "Vaughn, what do you think about my outfit? Do I charm you magnificently?" Vaughn and I rolled our eyes. Truth to be told, I indeed marveled at Denny. The pearly white tuxedo glowed in the light, reflecting Denny's pride and excitement. A light blue tie tucked into his dress coat, smooth in every place. Shiny polished black dress shoes gleamed on his feet.

_After a year, my ex was moving on. _

"You look like a man about to get married," Vaughn muttered, a slight smile on his face. I tried to stifle laughed. _Duh, of course he's getting married. _

Vaughn rarely smiled, much less talked. At times we exchanged awkward quiet hellos; at others we had a conversation about our animals. Taro was not much help in poultry or livestock whereas Vaughn would ban me from ever touching a chicken again if I let it die.

When my first chicken had…left the farm to R.I.P., he scowled and said, "You don't deserve a chicken." He refused to give me a second chance.

So I had decided to take matters in my own hands. "If you refuse to trust me with a chicken," I had confronted him. "Then teach me how to care for it. Isn't that reasonable?"

Raising an eyebrow, he frowned and nodded. "Fine," he snapped.

We went behind to where Mirabelle kept all the animals. There were the fat cows munching on the grass. Fluffy sheep were chewing on food. The birds twittered on the sides, happily hopping around.

He taught me how to feed them properly, and how to know when they were hungry. They had to be observed properly, so I would know when they're feathers were ruffled and when they were happy and all that information. It was pretty self explanatory, but then he explained a little more to me. There was information about their nesting boxes for sleeping, spraying the wood with lime scents to reduce the odor, and by the end…I had a huge headache.

While I was feeding the chickens, I had asked, "Do you know that guy named Denny? He moved to the island yesterday." One chicken jabbed at my hand. The other waddled away from my outstretched grasp of chicken feed.

"Yesterday was Tuesday," Vaughn solemnly grunted. "I'm only here on Wednesdays and Thursdays." Inside, I mentally smacked myself for being so stupid. Julia was talking about her cousin, and how he settled on Sunny Island for two days a week.

…Let's say I'm not exactly acquainted with Vaughn.

I turned to look at Denny.

Raking a comb through his curly brown hair, Denny said, "Thanks!" His hair was different without his purple bandana. He didn't look like Denny anymore. Denny fist bumped an awkward Vaughn and cheerfully replied, "Man, I _am _getting married. She's the most beautiful woman on the island, and I wouldn't marry anybody else!"

I fidgeted uncomfortably. Those were the words uttered from his mouth last year. _"You're the most beautiful girl on the island, Chelsea. Will you marry me? I wouldn't marry anybody else."_

Noticing my discomfort, Denny cleared his throat. Shifting his eyes, I refused to look at him. There was too much pain. "Sorry about that, Chelsea." My cheeks reddened. How embarrassing. He just pointed out regrettably and unforgettably what happened between us. To make matters more humiliating, Vaughn was also standing there!

_Vaughn probably knows about it too. _

It went without saying that Denny and I should never speak about what happened again, especially on his wedding day.

To my surprise, the words that come out of my mouth were, "Don't worry about it, Denny. She's the one for you." _No! I'm the one for you! Don't do this, Denny! I'll meet you somewhere when this is all over! Don't say a single vow until I pour out my heart to you…_As much as I wanted to say that, I kept my mouth silent. _I love you. But you love Lanna. _

"Thanks, Chelsea. I know you think it's not true, though." Denny smiled his sexy grin and held out his arms. _Crap. I've been figured out. He knows me too well. _"C'mon guys, let's have a group hug!" It was awkward hugging a stiff Vaughn and an energetic Denny. They were two different people with two different bodies.

A knock on Denny's door echoed in the some-what empty house. After his marriage, he would move in with his wife. All that was left of his place were fishing nets. Fishing nets from when we first met… "Denny!" Charlie ruined my train of thought. "Do you want to come down to the church, yet? Lanna's already there!"

"My future wife is there before me?" Denny yelped, barely jumping in the air. "I gotta leave!" After checking himself in the mirror one last time, he yelled, "Bye guys! See you!" Charlie and Denny sprinted to the church, ditching Vaughn and me.

I sighed.

"You're not over him." Four words startled me. It's the most I've really ever heard Vaughn say directly to me. Rarely did he ever talk to me anyways… "You still love him, don't you, Chelsea?" I was at loss for words. That was one thing about Vaughn to be bewaring about. He noticed things…way to easily.

For a man who had a face hard to read, he could sure read people's faces.

Stammering, I said, "S-s-so what if I am? It doesn't change a thing in Denny's life." Denny was about to be wed to Lanna, a pop singer! What was I to them and their future family? A friend! Nothing more! However, to me, they were to me…a boy stealer and the love of my life. How could I change their lives when the two were so happy together? Wasn't my life already a failure? I could barely uphold my farm!

"But it makes a big impact on your life," Vaughn said. "There's always that phrase at weddings: "Speak now or forever hold your peace." Why won't you speak, Chelsea? Tell Denny how you feel before he joins Lanna until they die. If you don't, either you're going to have a miserable life, or Lanna will be vengeful against you." Uneasily, I glanced up at Vaughn, half a head taller than me.

I protested, taking a step towards him, "If I tell Denny how I feel, I'll still have a miserable life. There's a chance I could ruin Denny and Lanna's, too. I'm not the kind of girl who would ruin Denny's big day like that."

Vaughn took a step closer to me. Almost angrily, he said, "Yet, you're the kind of girl who thinks that Denny is marrying the wrong girl. Do you want to say that, as well?"

_Why _is_ he talking to me? Why does he notice me? Dear Goddess, I want to die. _

I snapped, "If _you're_ so smart, why don't _you_ say it?" We both took steps towards each other, and collided. My hands pushed against his shoulders, and he fell back. We landed lying down on Denny's bed, with me on top of Vaughn.

_Oof! _Vaughn's hat would have flown off if he was wearing one, like he usually did.

I thought I knocked the wind out of him by landing square on his tough chest. Nose to nose, my eyes were squeezed shut. Opening the left, I muttered, "Well, this is awkward."

Releasing my hands that were on his shoulders, I wondered why his hands were at my waist. I was lying on top of him, for goodness sake! _Awkward… _

Vaughn sneered, "Then get the hell off me!"

Rolling off of him and standing, I brushed my light pink dress with my hands. Loose fabrics from Vaughn's black tuxedo had scattered on me. "Jeez, your tux is shedding." Fixing my now messy straight combed hair, I frowned.

_How did Vaughn ruin my hair that fast? We were on the bed for like __**ten seconds**_

Or were we?_._

Quickly, Vaughn was pulling the door open. "Let's go, Chelsea. We don't want to miss our best friend's wedding."

When we walked out, we were still blushing madly.

**()()()()()**

Denny winked from us across the crowd. I weakly grinned. Vaughn shot him thumbs up.

Everyone on the island had arrived for the wedding… except for the Witch Princess. There was a possibility she was lurking in the trees, searching for a way to cause trouble. Since we were at the church, the Harvest Goddess was nearby. Witch Princess wouldn't dare to come near the ceremony.

Like, even Shea was here! And he's crazy right in the head!

Residents stood in their places, nervously waiting for the bride to float in. I was beside Vaughn, strangely, with my best friend Natalie on my other side. Nudging her, I whispered, "How long will it be before you and Pierre will be walking down that aisle?"

That totally got her laughing, in a very pissed off way.

"Get the fudge out," Natalie snorted.

Trust me, Natalie thought she was too cool to swear even though some people thought it was the other way around. Whose side am I on? I don't swear a lot. Does that answer your question?

"When are you and that guy beside you going to get married?" I stiffened. She was pulling my chain. Natalie knew that Vaughn and I weren't friends.

"You might want to shut up," Vaughn growled beside me. "The wedding's starting." _Did he hear what Natalie said…? _If he did, he showed no emotion.

Natalie flushed and said, "Sorry. I thought my brother was next to you." _Natalie thought that Elliot was next to me? Elliot and I getting married is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Denny belonged to me…and he will always. _

"I'm right here." We swiveled around to come face to face with Natalie's brother, Elliot. He was frowning. "Honestly, Nat?" Natalie groaned, "Get lost, Elliot," and I grinned. Brothers and sisters never ceased to fail arguing at the strangest of times. Turning back, the wedding finally started.

An organ started to play a wedding song which everyone enjoyed: light, sweet, but I couldn't watch. There was too much pain.

If the girl Denny was marrying not me, why should I look up? She floated down the aisle like she was the queen of the world. Mind you, a famous pop star singer is considered a queen, in ways. Did I care? No.

Lanna wasn't my favourite person anyways because I never bothered to talk to her.

I already had Julia, the strong natured girl. She offered me help with my chickens, when I chickened out asking Vaughn. Natalie my best friend was hilarious. There were times where we would befriend animals in the forest, or attempt to grow fruit in my greenhouse. Elliot was her brother, and we're naturally friends considering how much time I spend at their house.

Mark used to try asking me out, following me around, eventually just befriending me. He gave up, but we're close now, you know?

Cliff arrived at the island at alternate times. Sometimes he talked about his wife, Ann, but we were buds all the same. I looked forward to his seasonally visits even though they came by surprise. But I kept in touch with Cliff by writing letters.

Then there's Denny.

Nothing is needed to say about him.

I love him.

I don't need Lanna when I have all my friends surrounding me.

When is this going to end? _I don't want to be here, oh Goddess, let me leave now. Ring the damned bell and let us go on our way… _Time dragged on. Seconds ticked by. When I faintly heard the priest say, "Speak now or forever hold you peace," a flashback appears in my mind.

"_Why won't you speak, Chelsea?" _

The reason why I wouldn't speak…is because I love Denny too much to ruin his life. Who knows what would happen if I poured my heart out to Denny? Maybe…he'd come running back to me. Or the island would then know how I feel about him, and they'd look down on me for the rest of my life.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone knows that when the Goddess rings the bell, the couple is determined to be lovers forever, never to break apart or be separated. The relationship was destined, like soul mates. We nervously wait for the bell to ring during weddings. It normally does, according to Sunny Island's history. A couple of times when the bell ceased to ring, the couples ended up having horrible arguments, in the end separating.

Denny and Lanna's wedding was the first marriage since I settled here.

Anxiously fidgeting, we anticipated the ring of the Goddess. "I hope it doesn't ring," I muttered under my breath. The Harvest Goddess could save me now…

_GONG! BONG! GONG!_

...or not.

The tune was actually very light and lilting, yet it pounded deep in my heart at the same time.

We all jumped in surprise, and then broke into applause. Hands at my side remained unmoving.

Denny and Lanna shared a passionate kiss. "Now, to my wife, who will I love forever and always," Denny promised, when they broke apart. "I hope she will love me back like so."

**()()()()()**

The residents said their congratulations…but everything was a blur. Sounds of laughter and giggling erupted around, while my chest heaved with defeat.

Sadness drowned me.

He was never mine. He would never be. Empty swells protruded my chest, a hollow thump beating every second.

_Why did I have to say no? _

_Why did he have to break up with me? _

Many possibilities ran through my head. But I came to one conclusion: I won't ever know. The past was the past, and I had to move on and embrace the future.

Yeah, right.

My chance was over. Never could I tell Denny my feelings about him. He knew, but like, I could never pour my heart to him while deeply staring into those wondering brown eyes. It was impossible.

Mumbling congratulations to a stricken Denny and glaring Lanna, I fought back the tears forming at my eyes.

I then drank.

I drank a lot.

There was wine at the party – after the cake, of course. It was pure red wine. It filled my mouth with a rich longing. Splashing liquid flowed down my throat as I took large gulps from the glass in my hand. Glass after glass, I refilled the basin, right up to the rim. It was so addicting. I needed more, the craving in my stomach not satisfied.

Lanna began to sing, and everyone was clapping.

Why was I drinking? No idea.

Vision blurry, I said to no one in particular, "Hi'm tiherd…" There was a smile unknowingly plastered on my face. To people, I have a suspicion I seemed normal, smiling and laughing along with everyone.

Staggering from left to right, a manic giggle escaped from my lips.

I fell into strong arms. With a dreamy sigh, I relaxed in them and gazed upwards at the sparkly ceiling. _Who…?_ Squeezing my eyes shut, I hoped it wasn't Denny. That would be so embarrassing – especially at his wedding. "You're sho strong," I wiped the drool sliding from my mouth.

The smell of milk and animals filled my nostrils. _He smells so heavenly… _

Through lidded eyes, I mumbled, "You're beautiful."

"Hey, Denny, congrats," the one holding me said. He was a man. "But Chelsea isn't feeling well. I should bring her home." It wasn't Denny…Good. I tittered, twirling around in my own personal spot. My head was light and woozy, thumping and about to explode.

"Come on Chelsea," someone murmured in my ear while gently picking me up. My eyes were still shut. "Trust in me."

Suddenly, depression slammed me full in the face.

What the hell just happened?

Then the wedding flashed through my mind again.

In confusion and being miserable by the occurring events, I hung on to the person's neck and sobbed deeply into the person's chest.

**EDIT: Yeah, she got drunk now.**

**Was that good? Was that kind of short? Please tell me your thoughts on this. I hope you liked it. The first chapter is always the hardest.**

**~diego **


	2. Mud Is, like, Really Gross

**Ou Holy Goddess – ten reviews? That's amazing! I only asked for FOUR reviews and I got 10! I better see all of you in this chapter! **

**Thank you to Princess Toasty – my first reviewer! Haha, and I DO want to be an author when I grow up, thanks! **

**HarvestMoonLuv – I STILL LOVE YOUR FANFIC – **_**Speak Now **_**! **

**Yami's Girl 117 – Thank you! You just have to see! ;) **

**fooboo24 – NO! KEEP DENNY! I LOVE HIM! & ohmygosh, I feel so honored! You can actually marry Vaughn if you want. :D **

**yuseirulez34 – thanks! And I'm glad you're reading Ruins! **

**mytaconotyours – thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it : D Have I ever told you how awesome you are? **

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**Claire Lynn – Yep! Thanks! **

**iLoli – awwww, thanks, I didn't know it would be like that for others! I intended to make it sad, but not heart breaking. Thanks, it means so much! **

Chapter 2: Mud Is…Really Gross

The day after Denny's wedding, I stayed up on my farm. I didn't want to see the villagers celebrating for their new couple, knowing that I was there as well. All of them knew we were together for a long time, loved each other till our break up. Then they just forget because he married Lanna?

Vaughn saw through me yesterday. Why did he even bother to talk to me? Usually he was anti-social, only talking to limited people. Denny said that he doesn't like talking to others; it had something to do with anger management problems. That, I could see, after falling on Denny's bed. He was so frustrated.

Life sucked.

Oh, and the day after Denny's wedding, I woke up with a hangover. Yeah, that was great. I stayed in bed for almost a whole day.

Life sucked even more.

**()()()()()**

Today wasn't a very good day – it was rainy, and slippery. Gloomy and cloudy, it was.

Actually, the past few days were like that. The rain was drenching me from head to toe. Slick mud everywhere I walked, my foot threatening to give way under me. All the dirt on my field was a terrible place to farm.

Yet, I worked. The hoe lifted and smacked against the dirt without hesitation. Turnips were hauled out of the soil and thrown in a basket. I was always out of breath, only my determination would not allow me to go inside.

I didn't exactly know why I was doing this. Was it something to put Denny out of my mind? Or did I just do it for the heck of it? I believed it was the first option. For once in my life, I wanted to forget him. There was no point in even thinking about him, now that he was with Lanna. I told myself this many times.

The cows I stroked. The chickens I cuddled. When I leaned on them, I could even smell the damp rain on their pelts. Worriedly, I finally wondered if all this terrible weather was beginning to be severe. I wondered if I should halt to my work, and just stay inside.

But there was still the sadness.

So the answer was no.

My head was drastically pounding. Groaning, I rubbed at the temples, exhaustion sweeping over me. But I picked up the brush and kissed the nose of Lightning the cow.

I worked through the whole day, tending my animals and protecting my crops from overdose of rain. I also took out my fishing rod and headed to the water. The reel was resisting against me. I knew it just wanted to jump in the water and float away from me. Fish in my basket were starting to build. By now I probably had ten.

When I glanced at my watch, it was three o' clock. Sighing, I was feeling bored of myself. There was nothing to do at the moment.

Exiting my barn, I made my way towards West Town.

**()()()()()**

Here, the weather was lighter, if somewhat possible. The slight drizzle fell from the sky, instead of the flooding in my area. I sighed. What a lucky section of town. I was only halfway and I could see a large difference in West Town and my farmland. My…was there even more sun over there?

The first thing I saw when I walked into West Town is Natalie eating dark chocolate.

"Hi, Natalie," my arm rose to give a wave. There was a smile on my face. Looking around, I saw that I was right. The weather _was _better, but the terrain was worse. To my left there was something like muddy quick sand still developing. On the right there was an even larger puddle of _water. _Ew. Ew. Ew.

This was disgusting.

"Chelsea! I haven't seen you in a while, dude!" Natalie said enthusiastically after spotting me. Her hands desperately wave. "Oh my gosh! Have some chocolate! It's from Denny's wedding!" There was a glowing smile on her face. She seemed much happier than last week. I wonder what happened?

Preparing to catch the chocolate, I flatly said, "So, how's it going?" Emptiness is what I feel. There's nothing that can make me happier at the moment.

I coughed, badly. Was I getting sick? Groggily, I looked up.

Ignoring my question, she chucked it towards me. "Catch, Chelsea!" Diving forward, I scarcely manage to cradle the chocolate in one hand. I wanted some chocolate, and for goodness sakes, Natalie stripped off the wrapper! Chocolate landing in the dirt would obviously be disgusting.

"Honestly, Natalie," I said as I landed on my butt in a pile of mud. "The things you do to me are – OWWWWWWW." Disgusted, I wiped my hands on the cleanest part of my jeans that I could find.

As I had tried to stand, I fell and hit my head. On something tough, like a rock.

There was a throb in my head. Suddenly, I was woozy, light headed, with my head pounding. Something splashed alongside my face, and when I turned my head to look, I saw brown. Pure, goopy brown. Grossed out, I attempted to sit up, but my head dragged me back to the ground.

"Aargh…" I moaned, massaging my temples.

I remembered screaming, "Make it stop! It hurts!" It was like a constant drumming in my brain. It was like somebody was punching me over and over. Squeezing my eyes together, I yelped as another pain ebbed.

I was so confused. I didn't even know what was going on. It was like a rush of events flying in my face.

Then all was black.

**()()()()()**

"Chelsea! Chelsea!" Natalie shrieked, rushing towards her. She stepped over the big rocks and skipped over large sections of mud. When she lifted up Chelsea's face, a wave of shivers ran up her spine. "What the heck? What happened to you? Chelsea!" Lifting her head off the ground with no problem, she shook her best friend hard.

When Chelsea ceased to make any movement, Natalie replayed the previous scene in her head. Then she gasped, "Ohmigoddess she got a concussion!" Taking three deep breaths, Natalie's pale cheeks flushed as she wondered what to do.

First, she attempted to pick her up, in a bridal style, and carry her away into their house. But that didn't work. Almost immediately Natalie somewhat collapsed, bringing Chelsea down with her. Not cool. At all. She frowned. There were rocks everywhere, so obviously she couldn't just _drag _Chelsea away.

_What to do? What to do?_

**()()()()()**

Nobody was home. She had pounded on the door of her house, but _nobody was home. _She had screamed in frustration. Where the hell was everyone?

Then realization dawned on her: It was Saturday. Which meant the rest of her family was at the Cafe, enjoying a delicious meal.

So she decided to barge in on Julia's home.

**()()()()()**

Natalie flung the door open and instantly yelled, "Chelsea's in crazy trouble!"

Julia practically jumped three feet up in the air.

Vaughn scowled at the by passer.

Mirabelle just strangely glared at her for disturbing the previous peaceful mumble.

That certainly snapped their attention towards her.

There wasn't much that they were doing.

Julia and Vaughn were cooking…whatever they were cooking, and Mirabelle was counting money.

"What's up with you?" Vaughn grumbled. "We're kind of busy."

Natalie glowered at him. _Do you want to die? _Her eyes asked.

Vaughn sighed, annoyed, and said, "What about Chelsea?"

"She's stuck in a mud puddle, unconscious and we need to help her…like right now." Natalie replied.

_And I think she would be majorly glad if you helped her, Vaughn. _She suspected that Vaughn and Chelsea could end up together one day. Maybe they would get married and have kids and have a great life together. They fit together like two peas in a pod.

It would be good for Chelsea, because of her heartbreak from Denny.

"Are you an idiot?" Vaughn demanded. "Why would you just leave her there?" His gaze caused her to shrink back in fright.

Shaking his silvery head, he walked towards the coat hanger and pulled his thick jacket on.

"I didn't know what to do!"

"You are an idiot."

"Vaughn! Natalie!" Mirabelle smacked her head. "Chelsea's health is at stake here!" From behind the counter she moved, and slipped on her rain boots. "Oh my goddess, it's raining out there! The muck will…"

She left the sentence hanging.

Glancing worriedly out the window, at the drooping grey clouds and drenching rain, she said, "We should go. Natalie was right to come to us."

But she felt like an idiot. Natalie grimaced, and tried not to fear of the outcome.

Maybe Chelsea would have to leave and travel to the city for medication, or she might be unconscious for the next who knew how long!

Julia dropped her wooden spoon back into the pot. "Let's go."

Looking at Natalie, she asked her, "Why does she suddenly show up at town on a crappy day like this?"

Natalie didn't know.

"Are we going, or not?" Vaughn asked, opening the door. A rush of cold air swept in the building. Natalie shivered, pulling her hoodie over her shoulders.

"Well, then, let's go!" Julia said, grabbing her jacket on a chair.

Awkwardly, Vaughn seemed to have second thoughts and stepped back. "I'll go get a pig."

When they rushed outside, Natalie panted, "Did he just say a pig?"

**()()()()()**

"What an idiot," Vaughn remarked, glaring at the girl in front of him.

He considered Chelsea a down to earth girl, just not…literally.

Pretty she was what happened to that dressy girl yesterday at the wedding?

How did she end up like _this_?

The next time Vaughn saw Chelsea after the wedding; this was _so _not what he envisioned. He envisioned a "thank you" or a "Vaughn, I am so grateful to you." But he did _not _expect her to be a little green, purple, and blue in the face, and yet still look incredibly cute at the same time.

He could see that he simply couldn't walk in and pull her out. There were much too many slippery rocks along the way.

Motioning to his pig, he commanded, "Pig, clear out all these rocks so I can walk through." It happily trotted over, obviously used to being given orders and nudged the rocks aside.

Snorting, it realized what it was standing in.

In a matter of seconds, the damned pig was rolling in the mud, chortling like there was no tomorrow.

Grumbling, Vaughn called, "Pig, you know how much I like bacon!"

He meant it. A look of satisfaction passed across Vaughn's face as the pig turned to glare at him.

It huffed, and used its snout to roll the rocks aside.

Vaughn turned to Natalie. "Explain."

How much more reckless could this girl get? First Chelsea got drunk, then she disappeared for how many days, and the next time when they actually saw her, she was unconscious!

Stuttering, Natalie said, "I-I-I have no idea! Sorry, Vaughn! Even she stopped talking to me after the wedding!"

Scowling, Vaughn recalled the wedding's events. The marriage of his best friend, and the drunken mood of his best friend's best friend. Not his everyday thing.

Today was not his everyday thing either.

The stupid pig had already finished. Simply, Vaughn walked over, with Julia behind him. Grabbing her pasty hands, he hauled her out and gruffly said, "She's staying at our house tonight."

He scooped her into his arms, while Julia made a grab at her feet.

"Don't drop her!" Julia whined.

_Like I ever would. _

**()()()()()**

"What do you remember?" Julia worriedly asked me, stroking my forehead. My face was flushed as she tended to me, and I sighed.

I was lying on her bed with three people crowding around me. A pillow was propped on my side, and multiple blankets covered my body. I felt warm and cozy in my surroundings.

Vaughn attempted to be subtle that he cared for me, but it showed. It was actually kind of sweet, considering I didn't talk to him often. Apparently he contributed all of his blankets to keep me warm. That's what Natalie whispered to me.

Thinking a little, I replied with a sneeze, "The taste of mud and chocolate."

Which was horrifying, by the way. I never wanted the taste of goo in my mouth again.

Natalie mixed the hot chocolate that was placed on Julia's side table and cried, "I'm so sorry, Chelsea! Seriously, I can't believe I was the one who caused all of this."

She was freaking out, I knew it. She actually had no fault, because I was the one who attempted to catch the chocolate.

"Natalie, it's okay," I reassured her, coughing. "I was really tired and zoned out – I still am. I have been freaking working myself to death and now here I am."

Natalie squeaked.

Everyone here was so concerned for me, I hadn't noticed it before. This was how they talked to me every day, so did that mean they were concerned for all this time?

"That explains a lot," Vaughn muttered.

Then he blushed as he asked, "Can I have your hot chocolate?"

I nodded, but Julia disagreed. She scowled.

"Get out, get out!"

Practically throwing him to the other side of the house, she shut the door and turned to me.

"He's insensitive. Don't listen to him."

Closing my eyes, I relaxed into the pillows.

Seeing how relaxed I was, Julia chose this time to say, "You're staying here tonight, no complaints."

**Edit: October 2011: Cleaned it up a little. I didn't want to cut out the pig, since so much of you liked it. **

**Reviews? **

**~diego**


	3. Vaughn Lies

**Thanks for your reviews! I got twenty of them! Haha, and they weren't even from the same people! ****Anywho, I like how all who reviewed either added this as favourite this story or alerted**** it! **

**This chapter is inspired by two of my reviewers. Most of you seemed to like the pig, so I was wondering how I could add it in. Then those two reviews came in then BAM, inspiration struck. **

**fooboo24 – Try making Denny some sashimi, but if that's too hard, just give him fish and fish related things. X) My cousin married him in…what, the end of Fall Year 3? ^-^**

**And because of HarvestMoonLuv, there is now a twist to who "brought Chelsea home". **

**Welcome to Vaughn's POV. Most of you said Vaughn, so, YES; this chapter is in his POV. **

**I do not own Harvest Moon. Maggie the dog belongs to Samantha, who I thank for owning an adorable little dog named Maggie. **

**NOTE: THIS IS **

**VAUGHN'S **

**POV!**

Chapter 3: Vaughn Lies

"Pig, how do you tell a girl that you barely talk to that you like her?" I quickly asked the pig out in the back. It was rolling in the mud, lazily squealing and…crapping. Usually I didn't stick around for that kind of disturbance but today I stayed because Julia just kicked me out of her room, and there was nowhere else to go.

I made a face as the pig toppled into its own droppings, wishing that I hadn't asked for Chelsea's hot chocolate. She was sick after all, and I could have made some of my own hot chocolate. There was porridge cooking on the oven anyways. In Julia's room I was nervous all of a sudden, and freaked out, asking to have her hot chocolate. Jeez, Vaughn, you're so stupid. You could have stayed with her if you didn't ask that stupid question.

So here I was, talking to a pig with my girl problems. How unfortunate that he didn't have a mate, because his advice might have actually been useful. Snorting, it raised an eyebrow at me – if it had any eyebrows and said, "_Oink, oink, oink." _

"I should talk to her? You do know who I'm talking about, right? Her name is Chelsea, and she's the one who you dragged out of the mud earlier." It mighty enjoyed pulling her out, as well, for some messed up reason. After the pig replied with an oink, I said, "Fine, yes, I know you saved her from…death. But I kind of like her…and she likes…someone else."

She actually _loved_ somebody else, and his name was Denny, and he was best friend on Sunny Island. He had no clue of my feelings for his ex girlfriend, and I'm glad of that. I didn't want Denny, Chelsea, and I to have tension between each other. Denny and Chelsea's tension was enough.

But now things were awkward with Chelsea and me. "_You_ _still love him, don't you, Chelsea?" _I had asked yesterday. We had a little argument, and sort of fell on each other. Luckily Chelsea didn't feel anything hard poking her, or that would have been really embarrassing. To think that hard thing was coming from me…because of her…it's out of the question.

"Oink, oink, oink," rubbing its head in the mud, it snorted this. Mud flew in directions, all of them missing me.

Smirking, I told it, "Yes, he does smell like fish." No, I am not talking to a pig. Merely was I observing its movements and responding to them. Be friendly to animals, and they'll be friendly back, instead of ramming you with their horns or beaks or…whatever they have. When the pig responded, I snorted. "Dirt tastes exactly like mud, you stupid pig. Why would you want to eat dirt in the first place? You have mud here…"

If pigs could glare, this one did.

"Okay, you know what?" I threw my hands in the air. He wasn't being helpful anyways. Still had I not approached an idea of how to tell Chelsea my somewhat feelings for her, yet I wanted at the perfect time. Denny had to be out of the way first – I regretted to think – and Chelsea and I had to be on the _friends or more _bridge."I'm done. That'll do, pig, okay?"

With that said, I left.

**()()()()()**

I walked into my home, and the first thing I heard was, "Julia, stay away from the porridge." The words came from my mouth, weird enough, because the first thing I actually saw was Julia trying to scoop out some gooey porridge from the pot. I knew how much she loved it, but trying to eat some porridge without _me t_here…well she had just crossed the line. One of my first instincts was to snap at how insensitive she was, but then I remembered I'd tried to maintain my anger since I once caused Charlie to cry.

Never would I hurt someone's feelings on purpose again. I was still working on it.

Julia innocently looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "Chelsea needed food, and Natalie went to get some from Chen." I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Maybe Chelsea could be an expectation to my porridge obsession. "Please, Vaughn? She's really hungry." So then I nodded, and as she spooned it in a moan uttered from the room Chelsea was staying in.

"I'll go check on her." I said. Fully aware of Julia glaring and silently saying "_don't try anything on her" _I stepped into her room. Julia didn't trust me well enough; she should know that I would never try anything on Chelsea… in this condition. "…you okay?" Chelsea's eyes were fluttering while her hands massaged her temples. Assuming her head was pounded hard, I called to Julia, "Get an ice pack!"

Coughing, Chelsea muttered, "Thanks, Vaughn." I acknowledged her with a smile, but she didn't see it. She was really sick, huh? How long would she stay at the house? "I hope I'm really not a bother."

Julia bustled in, hand with an ice pack, tea towel, and a bowl of porridge just as I protested, "We really don't mind you here Chelsea. I'd do anything to help." As soon as the words came out I blushed. _Wrong choice of words, Vaughn… _I would do anything to help…but so would Mirabelle and Julia.

Chelsea barely nodded as Julia placed the ice pack embedded with a towel on her head. "Thanks, Vaughn. It means a lot." Leaning back against her many pillows, she closed her eyes. I stared at her soft brown hair, her blue lips, and the stillness of her fragile body. The Goddess knew if she caught pneumonia, and I assumed she did.

Lightly breathing, Chelsea seemed to be falling asleep. Julia set the porridge on the side table and muttered, "I hope she gets better."

I wished I could see to that, but unfortunately I was leaving for the city tonight at eleven which was…five hours away. It was part of my job, arriving at the island for two days a week, and then leaving for the city.

This sounded kind of selfish, but I wanted to be by her side when she woke up. Maybe I would have figured out my feelings by then. The pig suggested that I talk to her, and I guessed that was a start.

**()()()()()**

**Six days later **

The moment I stepped back into my home, Julia whispered, "She's gotten worse." At first I expected her to be in a corner, in an emo mood, but I saw her at the table, head in her hands, face shadowed with worry. Mirabelle was out back apparently, tending to our animals. From a farmland I had picked up an unwanted dog, and I wasn't sure who to thrust him to. Her name was Maggie, and she was a scrawny Yorkshire terrier. Eyes hazel and wide, she jumped on people when she was excited. So far I didn't know why she was unwanted, but I figured eventually I would.

Maggie bounded after me, and sniffed at Julia's hunched figure. "This is Maggie," I introduced. "She's unwanted by her original owners." Unloved and unwelcome animals were my pet peeve. What couldn't people see in loving animals? Sometimes, animals were the only ones who understood when no one else could.

To my amazement, Julia smiled when I thought nothing could at the moment. "We can give her to Chelsea when she gets better." The question hung in the air: _Will she ever get better? _Unfortunately, the case wasn't bad enough to call in Doctor Trent, who was not at the island. He came every…summer, I think. I didn't know, why would I notice Doctor Trent if he wasn't an animal doctor? Agreeing, I glanced at the stove where chicken soup was cooking. I opened my mouth to ask, but Julia beat me to it. "We made soup for her, if that's what you're asking."

Feeling awkward all of a sudden, Maggie and I edged out the door, and I said, "I'll just go visit Denny now…"

In a small voice, Julia said, "Next time when you arrive at the city, buy any medicine that can help, okay?" I could tell she was really worried and that everyone else was freaking out. When I nodded, she said with her tone like a knife, "Promise me, okay? This can't get any worse." Of course it couldn't, Chelsea already pushed herself to the limit. It wouldn't be long before she gave into the condition.

"I promise." I replied, and Julia looked up with a small smile. Then I saw the faint tears on her cheeks, the circles framing her eyes. No doubt she slept in my bed during my absence, Chelsea using hers and all that. "How's her farm doing?"

"Natalie's been taking care of it," she said a little crossly. "I think you should go check on her animals in case they're not feeling down without Chelsea."

That was the first time she had said Chelsea's name since I arrived.

**Over the next two weeks…**

Wisely I stayed away from Chelsea. It's not like she'd appreciate my visits anyways.

* * *

I brought medicine from the city two weeks ago, and it seemed to be taking effect by now.

* * *

Denny was someone I hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe he was getting off with Lanna or something. I needed to talk to him…where was he?

* * *

I wasn't there when Chelsea fully healed.

* * *

She was feeling good enough to farm, but she was not talking to me. Why? I walked into the room to find Chelsea sitting on our couch. "You're feeling much better." I stated. Glaring at me, she failed to respond. You want to ignore me – fine, two can play at that game. Scowling back, I left.

* * *

Julia and Mirabelle insisted that she stay here. How lovely, I _obviously _agreed with them. Could you note the sarcasm in there? Another few days Chelsea would hang out here, until her strength and energy returned. Judging by the looks she had been giving me, I had a feeling I knew why her energy was being decreased as the day passed. I was pretty beat down myself.

* * *

This trying to be calm because of my anger management thing was not working out. After two weeks of glaring, scowling, and not saying uttering a word to each other, I finally confronted Julia in the kitchen and demanded, "Why the hell isn't she talking to me?" Our silent argument had gone for far too long. I half expected her to apologize to me, and everything would be all right, and the other half thought that we would never make up.

Julia raised an eyebrow. "You mean why the hell you aren'ttalking to her." Now, she had our stories messed up! Chelsea was the one who ignored me when I spoke to her! I stayed silent, seething. Sensing this, Julia shot back, "She lay in bed for two weeks, and you never visited her!" Crap, I actually hadn't visited her. "Not to mention she was going to ask you something!"

"I was going to ask him who carried me home on Denny's wedding," a quiet voice said behind us. Julia and I whipped around at the same time, to find Chelsea in her red bandana, yellow t-shirt and black sweat pants. "I'd like to thank him for that."

It was me who carried her home.

But I didn't want her to know that. I never wanted her to know that, and failed to see her outburst coming. Of course she would like to know who carried her – I thought immediately she's think, _Denny, _but I thought that was stupid. Denny was at his own wedding!

Swallowing the gulp in my throat, I said, "It was Elliot."

**I don't like this chapter as much.**

**Elizabeth, what do you think NOW? WHAT NOW, GIRL! :D (answer you inbox! D:) **

**anyways, **

**R**

**E**

**V**

**I**

**E**

**W**

**pleeeeeease! I want to see ALL of you in my email box once again! :D **

**~diego**


	4. Surprise

**Aww, thanks to everyone for all the reviews! [: **

**fooboo24 - How's Vaughn doing?**

**dizzydaydreamer - Heeeey, girl! :D Thanks so much! Writing a fanfiction about Vaughn and Chelsea...good idea and I don't have any suggestions, because you don't have a Vaughn x Chelsea story published right now. Maybe you could send it to me and I'll read over it? I'd be happy to give you some pointers!**

**So enjoy chapter 4! **

**Reminder: This is back in Chelsea's POV. **

**I'm editing chapters after this, probably. Looking back, my writing is crappy and I feel like an LG. D: **

Chapter 4: Surprise

You know, I actually thought Vaughn and I were becoming friends. Like the types of guy friends you could hug and not be embarrassed, the type of guy friends that made everyone say, "Oh, they're just really good friends." For some reason, I sensed a spark like that in him. Even though he was anti-social, and grumpy, Vaughn seemed like the type that would eventually open up to you with a bit a trust and friendship. Apparently, I thought wrong.

One thing that friends should do is visit _their _buddies when they're sick. They should talk to them; share stories that are going on in their daily lives, laugh, and help them. Assist whether fluffing a pillow or bringing in a steaming bowl of porridge or...or... I don't know! Whatever a friend ought to do was the exact opposite of what Vaughn did. From that, he achieved something.

What did he achieve? Well, he gained an angry stressed out girl who had a temper instead of a happy cheerful farmer who liked to put a smile on other's faces. All of that because Vaughn failed to visit me in a span of two weeks, even though Julia claimed he saw to me once. Apparently that one time I was sleeping so technically, that didn't count as a visit.

Julia did all of that instead – which I was grateful of – and Vaughn never thought to lend a hand. I asked her why Natalie never came around either and she explained that Natalie and her family were tending to my farm. I was filled with relief. At least some people cared enough to help me. I was actually worried that my animals were up there all alone and about to die. No one would ever forgive me for not being there for my chickens and cows!

One day Julia had said to me, "Vaughn brought you a dog...her name is Maggie. She's adorable." Flushing, I thought, _Wow, he got me a dog? That's actually pretty sweet... _"He also brought you medicine." My thought of thinking Vaughn was sweet vanished. He's here right now? "He's hanging out with Denny." So perhaps we weren't buddies after all.

Angrily seething, I had flipped the covers over my head and blocked out any sound from Julia. I didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. But then I wondered why I even cared why Vaughn wasn't talking to me. Last time I checked, I was still in love with Denny.

Mirabelle, being the kind but strict mother, she insisted I stay at her house until I was fully recovered. I protested that I was fine, but boy, was she stubborn! ...So now Natalie would be under torture trying to shove my fat prize cow who I called Lightning into the barn for the next week. Lightning was lazy, and slow, not to mention stinky when he did its business. Honestly, he worked up the whole barn and I even ran outside and puked once.

Long story short, I missed the farm as if I missed air. That had become my life. No...That wasn't true. Denny was my life, even if I wasn't his.

**()()()()()**

So here I was, waiting for Mirabelle to retrieve my order of fodder. I was allowed to go back home a few days ago. Hooray. It was so different to be back in my own house, without Julia's constant talking or Mirabelle hushing. Honestly, I missed spending my days at their house.

But now...

I leaned against the door frame, scowling. Arms crossed with my wrinkled yellow t-shirt; I listened to Julia and Vaughn arguing. Surprise never occurred to me – I knew their conversation was about me. "Why the hell isn't she talking to me?" Vaughn angrily demanded with a toss of his silver hair. _Maybe I'm not talking to you because you've been a jerk and chose to ignore me for the past two weeks. _They didn't seem to notice I was standing right there. It's okay; not a lot of people notice me anyways. I'm like silent, not standing out in a crowd or socializing with many people.

Julia's dark eye bag ringlets caused a snappish scary glow around her when she raised her eyebrows. "You mean why the hell you aren't talking to her." Glaring at her in a menacing violet hue, Vaughn glowered and Julia scarcely shirked under him. Good Goddess, she's brave. If that were me, I'd be in tears right now because of his expression. Tearing his gaze from hers, Vaughn started quickly pacing back and forth. I wondered what got his brain in a mush. He appeared to be really worried and furious at the same time. This guy had some anger issues.

Taking a deep breath, Julia retorted, "She lay in bed for two weeks, and you never visited her!" That really got him there. Tugging his leather black hat over that expressionless face, Vaughn gave me the impression that he was thinking. After a few minutes, she added, "Not to mention she was going to ask you something!" I swore I then saw Vaughn's eyes insufficiently widen and ears perk up. What was I going to ask him again? While the two continued to be silent, I pondered on the question. Then it struck me.

Quietly, I stepped forward and said, "I was going to ask him who carried me home on Denny's wedding." Even though I was clueless, my instincts told me that somehow, Vaughn knew who the mysterious person was. I had a suspicion it was him, but I wanted to make sure. "I'd like to thank him for that." Stupid Chelsea, if the mysterious person _was_ Vaughn, and you're pissed at him, there is no way in hell you're going to thank him for carrying you home.

For a few seconds Vaughn hesitated. Time ticked by and I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding when he replied, "It was Elliot."

Ouch, that hurts. My heart sank yet I was confused. Nat would have told me if her brother carried me home. _Unless, _her brother told her not to tell anyone...After all, family always came before friends. I wasn't really sure if Elliot had muscle to take a girl home. He lifted crates for his grandfather and Chen when shipments arrived, but even I could do that easily.

They were pretty heavy when you lifted them in stacks, and my record is carrying four crates in my hands, from last season. I had walked down the crusty village path, and I stumbled on a small meddling rock. Losing my balance, I set the crates on the ground, muttering, "I can do this."

At that moment Denny chose to stride by, Lanna's arm interlocked in his. Hearing my statement, he called, "You're actually going to try?" Sparing me one simple glance, Lanna's high pitched giggle rang in the air. She were making fun of me, I knew it. Denny shot me a sympathetic smile and as their backs turned from me I yelled, "I'm not going to try when I can do it!" _Bitch. _

So I did. When I lumbered them into his house, Elliot's face shaded as bright as his orange-pink hair. He stammered, "Y-y-you carried four?" My best friend had snorted because Elliot carried only two.

Currently, I stared at Vaughn and said in two words, "You're kidding." Julia's face shadowed with an emotion that made her look pissed. Perhaps it was jealousy! _No way! _Why would she be jealous that _Elliot _carried me home? Blushing in guilt, I thought, _Does she like him? _

Vaughn, on the other hand, his face was as if someone slapped him hard on the cheek. But of course, if he was lying to me, I'd punch him silly. Eyes refusing to leave the ground, he slowly nodded.

Dear Goddess, kill me now.

**()()()()()**

Felicia opened the door, her squinty eyes smiling. "Oh, hello Chelsea!" She sounded surprised, but she shouldn't have. I had come to their house almost every night. "Come inside." As I nervously shuffled in, shifting my eyes wondering where Elliot was, Felicia called, "Natalie, Chelsea's here for you!"

"Actually, I'm here to see Elliot," I replied as Natalie appeared in my sights.

"What did he do?" she demanded, obviously upset. I could see why. Silently, I told her with my eyes, "Sorry" and she rolled her eyes and called, "Elliott, Chelsea's here for you!" She was annoyed with me, I could tell. I sighed.

He stumbled into the room rather clumsily. Pushing up his glasses, he said, "Hi, Chelsea." Goddess, had I led him on wrong? He was _blushing. _Okay, now this was totally awkward. After two weeks I showed up at my best friend's house, wanting to talk to her brother. If I were in Natalie's position, steam would be puffing out of my ears by now. When I glanced at her, I winced. I could see _her _steam billowing out.

I decided to make this quick. "Remember Denny's wedding?" There was no point in pulling Elliot to the side because Natalie would enter an 'ignore Chelsea because she told my brother something I do not know about' phase. Anyways, his family would eventually find out...

So he nodded, curious about my question.

Luckily Natalie sensed it coming and blurted, "It's Vaughn." I stared at her in surprise. _She knew? _Glowing a rosy pink, she added in a rush, "Denny couldn't leave his own wedding, and like, Pierre was with me the whole time. And you know, if it were Elliot, we'd hear about it by now."

My first reaction was: "Vaughn lied to me!" Why, I had to punch his stomach until that pig dragged him around! That sneaky boy told me the mystery guy was Elliot! My fists clenched. The thing I wanted most was to beat a hole in the wall with everything I had got. I probably would have, only this wasn't my house.

Second: What the hell was Pierre dong with Natalie?

Third: "I am going to kill Vaughn," I vowed.

"Isn't that a little too harsh?" Elliot asked timidly.

I ignored him. There were no questions I wanted to put up with at the moment. "Are you coming with me, Natalie?" I thanked a confused Felicia and Taro as she ran to fetch her jacket. Apologizing to Elliot, I gave him a hug which made him blush even more. When ready, Nat gave a short nod and I said, "Let's roll out."

**()()()()() **

At the entrance at the forest, I exclaimed, "I am _so _not going in there." The darkness jeered at me, threatening to unleash..._her. _Pine trees loomed about and I shuddered at the thought of one of them crashing down. The sickening crunch would shatter by bones...It could be _her _doing. By now she probably hated me so much she intended to roast me over the fire and eat me raw...okay, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Anyways, I glared at the dark abyss. Natalie tapped her chin. "That bitch will always be in there..." She rolled her light blue eyes. "I wonder why Vaughn hangs out there a lot." I agreed, but thought to myself, _It's Vaughn, and he's a really strange guy...like seriously, who wears all black? _Earlier Julia had informed us that Vaughn had left for the forest.

"Here's there a lot," she reminded us. "You should know that by now." To tell the truth, I _did _know that, and so did Natalie. Natalie liked the forest too. On odd nights, Denny would hang out with Vaughn. He claimed it was for the fishing, but I doubted Vaughn had any tolerance to wait for endless hours until Denny was satisfied with his catches. When my ex had invited me along, I declined every time.

She prowled in the pitch black, inconspicuous. Sometimes faint moonlight illuminated the paths. She avoided them altogether, for in the night people travelled there. Her preference was to stay hidden in the trees, slinking through. She marched, teddy bear in hand. Although scary and wise, she was arrogant, impulsive, and childish. She stomped on anything that got in her path.

But she always spared animals and plants. I didn't know why but those are the rumours around town. The things I've heard were from "she launches the animals on her enemies" to "creatures bow at her feet". Ridiculous, I'm telling you.

One night, I collided with her, and that terrified the living hell out of me.

On a light fall evening I was out collecting edible herbs because I always felt refreshed after I ate enough. The good part about them was that herbs were wild, so they were free. My buying expensive food at the Cafe or Diner lessened. When yanking a dark purple herb out of the ground, it popped up and I tumbled backwards in surprise. Then a hard body slammed into me. Gasping, I turned around and came face to face with her.

Flowing dirty blonde hair fell into shimmering tangled curls and frightening magenta eyes glared. Her face was streaked with dirt, and the teddy bear was dangling at her side on a belt. Pointing one skinny finger at me, she crowed, "You dare and cross paths with me, human? I'll get you one day, don't worry!" Panting, I fled. Feet pounded after me, but I managed to make it outside the gate in time.

Sighing, I took Natalie's pale hand and said, "It's okay, Natalie. I'll just wake up earlier tomorrow and catch him before he leaves." I, being very precise, would wake up at five o clock the next day. Determination would remind me of my task as well.

**()()()()()**

The belching moo of Lightning rose me from my comfortable bed. Lightning was like my alarm. I had even stopped using my own clock to wake myself up. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned, "Good morning, world," like I did every morning.

Gradually I dressed into my usual farming clothes, half-asleep. While tying the red bandana to my head, I mumbled, "I wonder how my turnips are doing...?" They were growing on steadily, and I figured they would sprout any day now.

The clock read **6:12 AM **in electric green numbers. Far away a loud honking horn sounded, the belching call hurting my sensitive ears. For a few short second I groaned, the pounding causing me to shake my head.

Oh, yes, I was used to this.

But jeez, when the ship leaves, why did it have to be so disturbing? Every freaking Friday it happened! At least I wasn't on that ship, like Vaughn was! That would _hurt. _

_Vaughn! _

Sighing, I just muttered, "I'll catch him next week..." To be frank, I didn't care about the situation at the moment: I forgot to wake up at five in the morning like I intended. For all I cared, he could be held captive by the Witch Princess. Perhaps he was needed for one of her experiments...but of course, I guessed all girls wished something similar to that when men piss them off. Sensitive, I was, but the thing I hated most was being lied to.

Scowling, I stepped outside, ignoring the bitter wind and chilly spring sun. I slightly shivered and pulled on my deep red cardigan. Ugh. The cold sucked. It was a _bummer. _I preferred a warm summer, going bare foot and sporting tank tops.

Maggie bounded up to me, and I ruffled her fur. "G'Morning, Maggie!" She barked and grinned, licking my face. I laughed and headed towards my tools.

As I picked up my watering can, I hummed a simple tune that Denny had taught me. It was a sea chant, really, and it was beautiful. Denny could play it on a wooden flute. I remembered the winter days when we were sitting by the fire in his house, snuggling close with a blue blanket draped over our shoulders...

I hadn't realized I was wistfully standing in the middle of my farmland, staring in the distance until someone yelled behind me, "Chelsea! You better come to the beach _quick! Your brother is unconscious!" _

**Damn, baby, damn. A very interesting chapter and a very interesting cliff hanger...Aren't you in love with me by now? ^.^ **

**I'm looking for a beta reader. Please tell me if you're interested. **

**R e v i e w s**** are love and better than Lightning the cow. **

**~diego**


	5. Are You A Virgin?

**Fooboo24: Yay! Congratulations! I'll go to your wedding! :D **

**Ayara012: Is you fic up yet? Yes, I play LoZ, except I'm stuck on the very last stage of ST! Argh! **

**I realized the last time I updated was on one of my best friend's birthday...**

**Wow, finally, an update!**

Chapter 5: Are You A Virgin?

_Are you kidding me? _Here I was, staring at my brother's unconscious body. For the first minute, I was frozen and unable to move. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He was slumped in the sand, short dark brown hair sticking up in different directions. The grains tangled through his thick hair and framed his twisted body.

On his forehead sported a purple spot, a noticeable bruise that was as if hurting him. He slighty writhed in pain. Etched on his face was a dazed expression – and also a little confused.

_Holy crap._

Poor guy. A bloody nose looked broken, bent to the side in a way that would leave a scar in my brain. Shuddering at the image, I finally knelt down and lightly brushed his cheek. Sand scattered to the sides, a few imprints of my feet appeared. I listened for his breathing, blocking out the frustrated noises behind. There it was, ragged and barely audible. How long would it take for him to recover?

I felt like crying.

I then groaned at the sight of his rectangular glasses. They broken right in half. Falling off his face, the lens was barely hanging out of the green frame. Great. Now I had to buy a new pair. Considering his expensive taste, it would be a two thousand gold kind of pair.

_I don't have the money. _

Leaning down, I muttered, "You idiot." I immediately took action. Inside, I was panicking. _Oh my goddess, will he have a concussion? _Using my arms to heave him up, I thought about _how_ he could have been knocked unconscious. The only possible way was if he was hit by something...but what could have struck him? The beach was like _empty _except for one huge rock and... Denny's house...

Common sense led me to one answer: Denny – especially since he was lying outside of Denny's house, and because the rock was all the way on the other side of the beach.

I turned to glower at the man with the purple bandanna. I tried not to change my stare towards the helpless girl clutching his right arm. Denny must had done something. My brother was found outside his house, and he was looking pretty damn guilty. I growled, "Denny..."

As if he was expecting my outburst, he cut me off, "Okay, so I _may _have accidentally hit him when I opened the door!" Denny's big brown eyes lowered to the ground.

Shuddering at the thought of my brother being fully hit in the face by a door, I stopped trying to hold him in my arms. I was too weak, for Goddess' sake. All I bluntly said was, "Thanks."

Then squeezing his eyes tightly, he cried, "I'm so sorry, Chelsea!" Clenching his fists together, he winced and ran to my side. "Is he okay?"

Lanna whimpered the slightest, and then a low growl escaped from my throat. _My brother's life is more important than allowing her to follow us around like a puppy dog. _

"What do you think?" I snapped at him. Then I stood straight. _Don't take your anger out on Denny. It's not going to help anyone. _Pushing a strand of brown out of my eyes, I took a deep breath and spoke, trying to keep my voice calm. "He's unconscious. We have to bring him to my house."

Denny nodded, his curls bouncing. "Okay."

I bent with Denny to lay him in our arms. I carried his head and shoulders, while Denny carried his underside.

Together, we carried him down the rocky path. I struggled not to drop my brother's heavy frame, while Denny acted like he did this kind of thing every day. Stupid muscular men. If I dropped my brother, his skull would be skewered with sharp tiny rocks and we'd _really _have to rush him to the city. I didn't _want _to ride to the city; it would use too much money and I doubted I could even afford a doctor at the moment.

Then, to break the silence, Denny said, "Hey, okay, so I opened the door, right? Then, then I heard a thud and I was like, "Whoa!" And then I turned around and there he was, like there on the ground, knocked out! So like, Lanna came out and started screaming, and I was so scared, so I ran up to your farm and got you!" He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, that's the story."

And I believed him. There wasn't proof that he was lying, and I was convinced that I was still totally in love with him. I said, "Oh, I see..." Then hesitated. Out of my mouth slipped out, "It's okay." For a moment, I had no idea what I just said. But after briefly thinking about it, I thought, _I actually forgive him. It's okay! _

We ran into Natalie along the way. "Hi Natalie," I jutted my chin towards her.

Natalie, who stared at him in horror and said, "Holy shit," paid no attention to my greeting. Her jaw hung open. I don't think she could even take a peek at the bloody nose either.

"Uh...yeah." I nodded grimly. She ran to get bandages from Chen. Apparently he had some. "I'll be back at your house in a little while!"

Worriedly, I wondered if everything would be okay. When we reached my house and I unlocked my door single-handed, Denny asked, "How old is this kid again?"

Pushing it open, I replied, "Fifteen." He was seven years younger than me, yet he was taller by an inch. It bothered me that my brother was shooting up so fast while I had already hit the stage of not growing anymore.

"Here, carry him by yourself," I ordered, rushing inside to run hot water in the tub. Maybe if he recovered in the next ten minutes or so, he could soak in that fiery feeling water.

Arms hooked under shoulders, Denny dragged my brother inside. After quickly glancing around, he laid him on the dull green couch without hesitation. Uncomfortably he was at his feet at my brother's side, not moving or saying anything.

"Does he look okay?" I asked him. He hadn't told me what he thought about the incident yet. From the drawers in the bathroom, I also grabbed some white cloths.

"I don't know Chels, he looks pretty beaten up…." His voice called from the other room. Frowning, I dipped a cloth in the steaming water. The frothy liquid was warm under my hand, and I was nearly tempted to jump in the tub. I could use a break. But I stood and wrung out the cloth.

When I walked over to my brother and Denny, I said, "No thanks to _you._" Laying the wet cloth on his head, I examined his bloody nose.

"Yo, I said I was sorry!" Denny threw his hands up in the air. He turned away and plopped down on my fluffy green duvet covered bed. Much to my discomfort, he lay down, sighing in aggravation. "I don't understand." Closing his eyes, for a moment, he looked peaceful. Denny was peaceful, and here I was, scared out of my wits because of my brother.

Bewildered, I considered asking him why. But instead I snapped, "You don't understand why you're lying on my bed? Wow. Okay." Personally, I thought he looked at place sitting on my bed. Like he...belonged there, and everything was natural. However, that was just me and my sick minded thoughts.

"No!" He shouted, and my hand paused. Then he sighed again and said, "I don't understand what's happening in my life so far."

_You tell me this now? This is really not the time. _

I resumed caring for my brother. With another cloth, I dabbed at his bloody nose. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to look straight at it. Red dots of blood stained the white, bright and daunting. At the metallic smell, I gagged. It was fresh while at the same time, lingering and starting to dry up. "Good to know," I said sarcastically.

When I glanced over at him, he was wincing. "Sorry, I shouldn't really be talking right now," he apologized, his eyes opening. I could see the swirling emotion of regret, mixed in there, longing. I frowned.

Leaving my brother on that couch with the rag dumbly on his head, I say, "Mhm…" Walking over to the sink, I wondered what he was talking about. Why would he talk about whatever he was saying _now, _out of all times? My hands grabbed a glass from the sink. The smooth surface met my fingers. Picking up the water jug then tilting it so water poured in, I said, "It's okay, go ahead."

As if he were expecting my answer, he replied, "It's just that Lanna has been pushing me about sex since our wedding night, but I really don't want to…" His face barely flushed as he slid off the bed, into a sitting position. His large hands rested on his knees.

My hands scrambled to have a grip on my glass and the water jug once again. "W-what?" Cheeks burning, I raised the glass to my lips, and a mouthful of water flooded in my mouth. Swallowing it, I wiped my clammy hands against my yellow shirt. Then I choked, and coughed.

Truthfully, he said, "I mean, she's good in bed and all, but there's something about her…I don't know."

…_I think my best friend has momentarily forgotten that I am a girl. _

He continued on, oblivious to my expression. Eyes fixed on the orange carpet, "Like, she was wearing a sexy lingerie and-"

"HEY!" I yelled, suddenly jumped over to my brother and covered his ears. With a scowl, I said, "Don't say anymore! Tyler is a virgin!" At least, I _thought _my fifteen year old brother was a virgin… Teenagers these days, you never know about them.

_But I'm a virgin too…_

Denny, totally taking my statement in the wrong way, said to me, "Are you saying that you're _not_ a virgin?" Suspiciously he glared at me, mouth pursed in a wondering expression. Arms crossed over his chest.

I stammered uncontrollably, words a jumble. "V-v-vir…g-g-gin…N-n-o-o…O-o-g-g-o-d-dess…" My whole body felt heated in embarrassment. To think Denny would even suggest such a thing! I couldn't say anything. _This is humiliating. _

"Is there something you're not telling me?" He demanded, rising from his seat. While his face had the image of a pissed off look, there was humour tied within it. Hands fell to the side. My heart was pounding, loud enough for the beat to reach my ears.

After taking another shaky sip of water, I yelled, "I'm a virgin, alright?" Shaking my head, I walked back to Tyler and muttered, "Why do you care, anyways?" The blood had returned to his cheeks a pale rosy colour. Breathing was growing steadier by the minute. I smiled. Maybe a little rest was all he needed. Except for his broken glasses and bruise on the forehead, maybe all would be well.

"Why do I care?" Denny asked. I froze. Did he actually hear that? Chuckling, Denny opened his mouth once again to answer.

Then Natalie barged in and said, "I got the bandages!" _Thank you so much, Natalie, for interrupting us. _In her hands were a medium-sized Ziploc, with sticky strips of peachy brown inside. She rushed over to me, opening the plastic bag.

Relief washed over me. I honestly didn't want Denny to answer that question.

As I smeared the cream on wherever I could see Tyler had been hurt in anyway, I failed to notice that Denny had left the building.

**More reviews give me more inspirations! **

**Hey, by the way, me and my two friends **_**HarvestMoonLuv **_**and **_**rongirl98 **_**have published a story together! (Wizard x Molly) It's under the name LollipopHarvestGirl98. Be sure to check out our story! Please and thank you. :D **

**~diego**


	6. Tyler

**Announcement: I am not discontinuing this. I have finally come up with an official plot for this story, and I am going full on with this story! **

**Sorry if I left you hanging!**

Chapter 6: Tyler

My favourite moment with Tyler was probably when we went kayaking. Just the two of us.

Mom and Dad were at this orchard, browsing through buttery fruit jams and silky honey, along with some wine and cheese... Well, who wanted sweets?

Regrettably, not us.

If we were there with our parents, maybe, just maybe, we could have bought another jar or two of Saskatoon berry goodness...

Mm...

Too bad we couldn't go there for a while. The location of the orchard was like seven hours away from our house. We were around that area on vacation, staying in a cozy cottage near the valley of shops. The valley was called Forget-Me-Not-Valley, and it was absolutely beautiful!

Well, Tyler and I were kayaking at the beach. A nice, good looking guy had offered to show us the different strokes, but we shook our heads and said "No thank you."

We kayaked before, and today wasn't any different.

Especially if the guy was good looking. He had a light purple bandana, and dark tresses of curls. His brown eyes shined in a friendly kind of way, and his charming smile made me blush.

I totally wouldn't date him. That guy looked like a ladies' man!

After we politely thanked him for lending us the kayaks though, we grabbed the double-bladed paddles and skilfully climbed into the boats.

Tyler's boat was a lovely dandelion yellow, while mine was a sickly marine kind of colour. At the bottom edges, they were lined with weak green mold.

But in the end, it was all worth it.

And exchanging grins, we were off.

_Stroke, stroke, stroke. _

When I glanced behind, I saw muscles furiously working to catch up. I laughed. "You're not fast enough, dude." And I was like, seven years older than him, and often worked out. Who had the better build here? Me, obviously.

Gritting his teeth, he snapped, "Then why don't you slow down?" Then his spiteful expression changed into a joyful, determined one. I knew that look on his face. At that moment, he had a goal, and that goal wouldn't be forgotten. Laughing, he declared, "I'll be stronger than you one day, Chels!"

To have unjustified his point, I sped up. As soon as one paddle rose out of the water, the other was diving right in. "You sure about that?" I teased. Further ahead I pulled.

Then I slowed my pace, patiently waiting for my little brother to catch up.

Tyler was already beginning to heavily breathe, his cheeks a red hue. Together we continued, but I relented, paddling at a slower speed.

The water splashed so that the drops lightly fell on our arms and thighs. I could hear the swish as Tyler dipped his blade in the water. It broke past the shimmering surface and emerged from it. Even more drops splattered and landed onto the liquid with a satisfying "plop".

I deeply breathed in the fresh salty air. When I exalted, I had noticed the scenery. The mountain slopes looked as if I could run up and down them, not trip, and still have a pretty good workout.

Everywhere there was green – even Tyler's baseball cap. Pointy fir trees were everywhere my head turned. I marvelled at the flourishing beauty before my eyes. The rows of yellow daffodils and pink roses mixed together in a distant glow.

At home, barely was there nature. Instead, it was all towering buildings and drab, grey roads.

"This is so different from home," I told Tyler.

He looked up, not ceasing his movements of the paddle. He quickly took in the sights, the trees, the cozy, peeping houses.

Then Tyler said, "You got that right," and once again concentrated on his kayak. I guessed that my "cool" video game addict brother couldn't appreciate the scenery like cute, outdoorsy me. Chelsea.

But if I lived in a place like this, my life would be complete.

There would be no smell of gasoline in the air, or the poor, homeless ones begging for food and money. There would be laughter, and everybody would know each other, unlike our unfamiliar city.

I wished to live there.

When we got back to shore, we had a picnic at the lake. Or pond. Whatever these people called it.

Turtles luxuriously lounged on the sleek rocks, tough shells gently clinking against each other. They waddled on the edge of the water, about to dip their heavy feet inside. It was adorable.

The water glistened in the sunlight, aquamarine and green hues reflecting at us. Underneath I could pick out the silky darting fish and the patches of sea life.

We had laid out a large, checker yellow and red picnic blanket on the soft grass and placed the food in the middle. Tyler passed out plastic cups and paper plates.

Mum had whipped up our favourite food – cucumber salad. Creamy to the last cucumber, she held out the bowl to us and exclaimed, "Kids! This is going to be memorable for a long time!" Her face was shining, and her white teeth gleamed in the sun.

We burst out laughing as Pops accidentally spilled half a glass of lemonade on a trudging turtle. Tyler's face was red from chuckling so hard, and I had to clutch my stomach when I saw the turtle's annoyed expression.

"Oh boy, I don't think he likes me anymore," Pops muttered, turning back around with a concerned look etched on his face. But then we all stared at him with giddy eyes, and he chuckled as well.

From a back he withdrew corn. Corn. Out of all things, he chose corn!

I asked, "Where did you get that?" Because I had a suspicion where he bought it, I just had to know.

I probably said it harsher than I intended because Pops looked surprised. He replied, "At the beach, from a very nice man with a purple bandana. Didn't you ask him whether or not if you could borrow their kayaks?"

If only he knew, Pops wouldn't think that guy was so nice anymore.

In annoyance, I grumbled to myself, "The nerve of that guy," and scooped myself a handful of cucumber salad.

Tyler was chortling, not lifting his crystal blue eyes to make contact with our suspicious parents.

At that time, all was well. We were a happy family, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Little that I knew was that this was our last family vacation before we all fell apart.

**Short chapter this time! **

**So, the next chapter will be when Chelsea leaves the city! Why? Well, you have to find out! Stay tuned. (: **

**~diego**


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